21 JUN 2009
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*Brazil takes radar plane off Air France jet search
*Massive ocean search for Air France black boxes
*FAA blocks Mexico's Aviacsa from operating into the US
*New bill would require operating carrier to be identified
*New FAA Procedures Boost Denver's Capacity
*Grand Canyon Airport Threatened With Closure
*Ukrainian diplomats meet Nigerian security chiefs over detained aircraft
*NASA's human space flight committee ponders our future
*US Airways appoints two VPs
*Airbus to test Israeli 'robot' tow-tractor concept
*Volcanic Eruption Delays Asia-Pacific Flights
*787 First Flight a Week Away
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Brazil takes radar plane off Air France jet search
SAO PAULO (AFP) - Brazil's military said Saturday it was taking a
specialized aircraft with on-board radar out of the search for more remains
from the Air France plane disaster in the Atlantic.
The air force Embraer R-99 was being removed from the operation after nearly
three weeks of flying over the zone, 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) off
Brazil's coast, the military said in a statement.
The plane was the first to spot debris from Air France flight AF 447, using
its radar during night flights over the area in the first week of June.
"The R-99 flew more than 100 hours and fulfilled a fundamental role in the
operation, especially in its initial phase," the statement said.
The search operation was continuing with other aircraft and a small flotilla
of Brazilian and French navy vessels, though nothing more was found
Saturday.
A Brazilian sea tanker involved in the effort was bringing to shore a body,
some plane debris and a small amount of passenger baggage, officials said.
Fifty bodies have been recovered from the crash zone, along with hundreds of
pieces of the plane.
Hope was fading of finding more, and the search operation was being
regularly evaluated by Brazil as to whether it would continue.
A separate search by a French submarine for the plane's black boxes,
believed to be on the ocean's floor, was continuing. The homing beacons on
the devices will only operate for around another week.
The Air France Airbus A330 carrying 228 people from Rio de Janeiro to Paris
came down in the Atlantic on June 1. The cause of the disaster has not been
determined.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5g9DkXF3PqiH1NKi_btiot1pMt
Msg
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Massive ocean search for Air France black boxes
By Alexei Barrionuevo and Matthew L. Wald, New York Times
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - Three ships and a nuclear submarine are engaged in
the most extensive marine search for black boxes from an airline accident in
modern aviation history, air safety experts said Friday.
Search teams, with crew and equipment from the French and U.S. navies,
continued to sound the deep Atlantic waters on Friday, straining to hear an
acoustic ping emitted from the flight data and cockpit recorders of Air
France Flight 447, which crashed some 620 miles off the coast of northern
Brazil in the early morning hours of June 1.
Veteran investigators said they could not recall a similar effort to locate
a plane's recorders; these could contain information that is critical to
solving the mystery of the downed Airbus A330.
"I can't think of any one event where there's been more than one military
naval organization out there hunting for them," said Greg Feith, a former
investigator at the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.
The vessels hunting for pings around the clock make up just part of the
armada of surface ships and aircraft involved in the search and recovery
effort, which includes at least 11 ships, 10 planes and two helicopters from
four countries. The Brazilian military has more than 1,000 personnel devoted
to the search.
As daunting and improbable as it seems to find tiny boxes in a huge ocean,
especially with the crash site still uncertain, searchers almost always
recover them, air safety
experts said.
Of 20 total airplane crashes in water over the past 30 years, in only one
case was neither recorder found during the crash investigation, said Curt
Lewis, president of Curt Lewis & Associates, a safety and risk management
consulting firm. In one other case, one of the two recorders was recovered,
and in two instances he was not able to determine whether they were ever
found, he said.
But this search is more difficult than most. French investigators are
searching an area with a 50-mile radius and water depths exceeding 15,000
feet. Most airliner crashes over water have been along coastal waters or
along the continental shelf, said Paul Hayes, air safety director of Ascend,
an aviation consulting company in London.
"This is pushing the envelope," he said. "Because of the depth of the water,
this may be the accident where they fail to do it."
Searchers are also pressed heavily for time. The boxes transmit signals for
about 30 days before the signals start to fade. The batteries in the boxes
on the Air France flight may have less than two weeks of life left.
http://www.mercurynews.com/nationworld/ci_12653139
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FAA blocks Mexico's Aviacsa from operating into the US
The FAA has banned Mexico's Aviacsa from serving the US until it can resolve
safety violations identified by the Mexican DGAC.
Aviacsa has been grounded twice in recent weeks by the DGAC over alleged
safety violations but both times the carrier was able to secure court orders
authorising it to resume operations. However, Aviacsa has not yet been able
to overcome an FAA decision to ban the carrier from serving the US.
An FAA spokesman confirms Aviacsa's "operations specifications" were revoked
on 12 June and have not yet been reinstated.
"Our top concern is safety and we are following the lead of the DGAC, which
has determined that there are significant problems with Aviacsa's
operation," says the FAA spokesman.
"I anticipate that until the carrier fixes those problems, and the DGAC
signs off on the fixes, we will not allow Aviacsa to fly into the US."
Aviacsa planning director Manuel Cung confirms Aviacsa has not operated its
only US route, connecting Monterrey with Las Vegas, since last week. But he
says the carrier is working on fixing the problems identified by the DGAC
and is confident it will soon receive the required permission to resume its
Las Vegas service.
"We are working on that right now," Cung tells ATI.
Cung adds Aviacsa has been operating all of its domestic routes since 12
June, when Aviacsa secured a new court order authorising it to resume
operating 20 of its Boeing 737s. Aviacsa was forced to cease operations on
11 June after another court reinstated the DGAC's initial grounding order
from 2 June.
Aviacsa was initially grounded for four days from 2 June until late on 5
June, when the carrier secured an initial court order authorizing the
carrier to resume operations despite vehement objections by the Mexican
DGAC.
Mexico's Secretary of Communications and Transportation (SCT), which
oversees the DGAC, continue to legally challenge the decision by two Mexican
courts to override its grounding order. The SCT claims it has the right to
ground carriers over safety concerns and believes 25 of Aviacsa's Boeing
737s are not airworthy.
The case is likely to drag on for months without a final outcome. The next
court hearing is reportedly scheduled for the middle of next week.
Meanwhile, Cung says Aviacsa is working on addressing the deficiencies
highlighted by the SCT in the initial grounding order. But he claims these
problems are very minor and do not actually affect the airworthiness of its
aircraft. Aviacsa is arguing that the grounding was not warranted and the
carrier is being unfairly singled out by the SCT.
Other Mexican carriers are pushing for more consolidation in the
oversaturated domestic market and have pointed out that Aviacsa is also
behind in paying airport and air navigation bills. The SCT tried to ground
Aviacsa last August, citing its overdue bills with government owned
suppliers, but the carrier was able avert the grounding before operations
were ceased by again securing a court order. The SCT continues to fight this
case in court as well.
Some Mexican carriers also have voiced a concern that Mexico's DGAC
inability to ground Aviacsa over safety violations could lead to Mexico
being downgraded under the FAA international aviation safety assessment
(IASA) programme.
But an FAA spokesman says a downgrade from category 1 is not currently being
considered.
"I don't think you can indict a country's entire aviation safety system
based on one court ruling," the FAA spokesman says.
"The IASA Program focuses on a country's ability to adhere to international
standards and recommended practices for aircraft operations and maintenance
The IASA program does not evaluate individual carriers."
While Aviacsa is currently banned from serving the US, the spokesman says
the carrier's two FAA Part 145 repair station certificates have not been
revoked. Aviacsa therefore can continue to work on US-registered aircraft at
its airframe and engine shops in Mexico City as well as on US-certified
products at its avionics shop in Monterrey.
Aviacsa, which owns a fleet of 23 737-200s and three 737-300s, has heavy
maintenance capabilities for the 737-200 and Pratt & Whitney JT8D engine as
well as various components.
While a higher court could potentially revoke any day the current order
authorising Aviacsa to fly despite the DGAC grounding order, Cung says its
traffic has returned to normal with load factors "above 60%".
He acknowledges Aviacsa has cut capacity and is not currently operating all
26 of its aircraft but this is in response weak demand due to the economic
downturn. He says Aviacsa had only been flying 18 or 19 of its aircraft
before the initial grounding on 2 June.
Cung says Aviacsa may return to its previous schedule of 80 to 85 flights
per day during the peak summer season, which in Mexico includes July and
August.
Meanwhile, the SCT continues to warn potential Aviacsa passengers that it
still cannot guarantee the safety of the 25 aircraft cited in its initial
grounding order. It also has pointed out to the public that the FAA has
suspended Aviacsa from operating in the US after determining the carrier
does not meet international safety standards.
Cung, however, says its passengers are loyal and realise safety has been
Aviacsa's main focus since it began operations nearly 20 years ago.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
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New bill would require operating carrier to be identified
New York Senator Chuck Schumer has introduced legislation to require airline
ticket vendors to identify which carrier will operate each flight segment.
The legislation comes on the heels of a fatal Colgan Air Bombardier Q400
crash in which Colgan flew on behalf of Continental Airlines.
Several congressional leaders have raised concerns during regional aviation
saftey hearings held since the crash that passengers purchase tickets based
on the assumption that they will travel on aircraft operated by experienced
mainline pilots and not aircraft from regional partners operated by less
experienced crew.
The bill has been read twice and referred to the Senate commerce, science
and transportation committee.
Corresponding legislation has not yet been introduced in the House.
On 12 February, a Colgan Q400 stalled and went out of control on approach to
Buffalo, New York. The aircraft crashed into a house about 9km (5nm) from
the airport, killing all 49 on board and one person on the ground.
Regional airlines' first officers have, on average, 3,075 flight hours and
captains have, on average, 8,571 flight hours, according to the Regional
Airline Association (RAA).
The Air Transport Association of America (ATA) does not have a formal
position on the legislation, a spokesman for the organization says.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
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New FAA Procedures Boost Denver's Capacity
The FAA has developed new procedures to reduce delays at Denver
International Airport during major runway construction work.
The airport pulled Runway 17L/35R out of service June 1 so it could replace
deteriorated concrete panels. That left the airport without one of its four
north-south runways, and limited it to only two runways during marginal
visibility, cutting the arrival rate to 64 planes an hour. With the new
procedures in place, the arrival rate will return to 96 planes an hour.
But according to the FAA, their personnel quickly figured out a way to
mitigate the construction's impact and boost the arrival rate by 33 percent.
They designed a runway configuration in which planes can land on two of
Denver's north-south runways, 34R and 35L, and one of its east-west runways,
26.
Using those three runways, the airport can now land 96 planes an hour,
reducing the potential for passenger delays.
The rehabilitation of Runway 17L/35R is expected to take about three months.
FMI: www.faa.gov, www.flydenver.com
aero-news.net
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Grand Canyon Airport Threatened With Closure
Arizona Budget Negotiations Threaten Airport
Literally hundreds of thousands of people may have had the opportunity to
experience The Grand Canyon from the air. Scenic rides over the gash in the
Arizona desert have been a staple of family vacations for decades. It is
still a way to get a unique view of one of natures' wonders.
In a terse letter to FAA Western-Pacific Regional Administrator William C.
Withycombe, Arizona DOT Aeronautics Division Director Barklay Dick said a
dispute with the Arizona Legislature over budgets could close Grand Canyon
National Park Airport.
"Dear Mr. Withycombe:
If continuing negotiations between the Arizona legislature and the Governor
do not result in an approved budget for the fiscal year beginning on July 1,
the State of Arizona may cease many of its services. Among those services
is the operation of the Grand Canyon National Park Airport.
If there is not an approved budget for the new fiscal year prior to July 1,
the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) will close the Grand Canyon
National Park Airport at midnight on June 30, 2009. Should the airport be
closed, it will remain closed until further notice.
Closure of the airport will be communicated through a Notice to Airmen
(NOTAM) issued by the airport manager. The standard "X" marking will be
placed on each end of the airport's runway to indicate the runway is closed
to traffic."
FMI: http://www.grand.canyon.national-park.com
aero-news.net
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Ukrainian diplomats meet Nigerian security chiefs over detained aircraft
LAGOS, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian diplomats on Friday met with Nigerian
security officials over the detention of a Ukrainian aircraft carrying arms
to Equatorial Guinea, the Nigerian Tribune newspaper reported Saturday.
Two diplomats from the Ukrainian Embassy in Nigeria met for over an hour
with army officers and security agents at the Air Force Base in northern
Nigeria's Kano State, where the aircraft and its crew have been held since
Wednesday, an official said.
Reports had it that the diplomats also met briefly with the seven detained
Ukrainian crew. Security officials are said to be exercising caution in the
handling of the issue because it is not yet clear if the arms and ammunition
on board the plane were illegal.
A competent source said this was being done because the matter might
eventually be settled diplomatically if it turned out that the impounded
arms were legally-owned by Equatorial Guinea.
Meanwhile, the seven-member crew of the Ukrainian aircraft was on Friday
moved to the Abuja office of the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI)
for further investigation.
A Nigerian clearing agent linked with the Ukrainian aircraft, simply
identified as Sylvester, was also taken to the DMI office with the crew.
It was gathered that authorities of the country where the flight originated
(Ukraine) and its final destination (Equatorial Guinea) have been contacted
in the course of investigations carried out by DMI.
The Ukrainian aircraft was seized on Tuesday at the Kano airport after it
had stopped to refuel.
Trouble started for the crew when officials of the Customs and Immigration
Services reportedly observed suspicious information supplied by the crew in
the flight discharge sheet.
Some of the weapons said to have been discovered on the aircraft include
howitzers, rifles, machine guns, rocket launchers and mortars. Suspicions
have been rife that the 18 crates of arms and ammunition on the plane might
have been headed for the Niger Delta.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-06/20/content_11573823.htm
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NASA's human space flight committee ponders our future
The Review of US Space Flight Plans Committee, formed at the request of
President Obama, held its first meeting Wednesday to establish practical and
state-of-the-art methods to encourage more manned missions to space.
NASA In recent months, the new administration has been prodding NASA to
study how current space technology might be utilized to put more humans into
space. President Obama recommended that NASA form a committee to evaluate
these possibilities, including commercial space flight, and deliver a report
to his administration within 180 days. The committee that resulted held its
first public meeting on Wednesday to discuss this issue.
On May 7, 2009, John Holdren, the Director of the Office of Science and
Technology Policy, sent a letter to Christopher Scolese, NASA's Acting
Administrator, on behalf of the US government and President Obama in
particular. Holdren extolled the importance of examining the state of humans
in space, or lack thereof. He also pointed out that much time has passed
since this issue had been evaluated, especially relative to the pace of
technological developments, and recommended that NASA form a committee to
assess the potential for future human space flight.
In response, the US Human Space Flight Committee was formed, composed of
persons such as Norman Augustine, the CEO of Lockheed Martin; Dr. Leroy
Chiao, a former International Space Station commander; and Dr. Sally Ride,
the first woman the US put in space.
The committee's statement of task charged it with identifying the sort of
human space flight architecture that would allow US support of the
International Space Station and missions to the Moon and further
destinations. They also need to consider if and how that architecture would
allow for commercial space flight. More generally, the committee is expected
to be an advocate for technologies that are innovative and inspiring to
younger generations. There's also hope that this will encourage
international competition (hopefully the friendly kind) and have a positive
impact on the nation's work force and industrial base.
The committee held its first public meeting on Wednesday in Washington,
D.C., which was broadcast on NASA's website. At the meeting, the committee's
members presented various methods of launching spacecraft, and reported the
status of some commercial programs, such as those from SpaceX and Orbital.
There were also two half-hour periods for public comment.
In addition to broadcasting the public meetings (three more of those will
take place in Huntsville, AL, Cape Canaveral, FL, and again in Washington,
D.C.), the committee is using Web 2.0 tools to keep the public updated and
involved, including Twitter, Flickr, online polls, and RSS feeds. One of the
committee's members, Dr. Chiao, is maintaining his own related Twitter. They
have also dedicate a page on their site for user-submitted questions, to
ensure that any reasonable submissions will receive answers.
A significant part of the Committee's job will be to suggest how these plans
might fit into the NASA budget, which will be $3.96 billion in 2010, but is
scheduled to rise to $6.27 billion by 2014. The budget will cover the
development of a craft dedicated to human space flight, robotic support
technology, and R&D spending.
Once the various options have been assessed through meetings and site visits
and deemed affordable as well as sustainable, the committee is to submit a
report to the Obama administration with their recommendations and strategies
to foster human activity in space. The final report, like the rest of the
process, will also be available to the public.
http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2009/06/human-space-flight-committee-hol
ds-its-first-public-meeting.ars
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US Airways appoints two VPs
US Airways has appointed Keith Bush as vice president, financial planning
and analysis and Todd Christy as vice president, business technology.
Bush joins US Airways from Northwest Airlines, where he most recently served
as assistant treasurer.
The vice president, financial planning and analysis position is a new role
at US Airways responsible for managing the company's capital and operating
budgets as well as overseeing long-range planning and fleet analysis.
Bush had worked at Northwest, which is now part of Delta Air Lines, for 14
years in various financial planning roles.
Christy has been promoted from the position of managing director, technology
delivery. This is also a new position with management responsibility for
information technology support, finance and accounting.
Christy first joined US Airways predecessor carrier America West Airlines in
2001. His original position was director, infrastructure and security and
was promoted in 2005 to managing director, infrastructure and technology.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
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Airbus to test Israeli 'robot' tow-tractor concept
Airbus is to explore the potential for engine-off taxiing through a
co-operative effort with Israel Aerospace Industries, centred on
semi-robotic towing.
In a statement during the Paris Air Show, Airbus said it had signed a
memorandum of understanding to assist development of the Israeli firm's
pilot-controlled towbarless tractor concept.
The concept is known as 'Taxibot' and involves fitting a tractor with
necessary hardware and software for specialised towing dispatch.
IAI says the Taxibot would allow commercial aircraft to be towed between
gate and runway without using jet engine power.
The pilot would have "full control" of the system and would use the regular
aircraft steering and braking controls in the same way as during taxiing
under normal engine power.
It claims that the scheme has the potential to slash annual fuel costs. IAI
vice-president of business development Yehushua Eldar says it "demonstrates
our commitment to the environment".
The company adds: "Use of the Taxibot system requires no modification to the
aircraft and minimal modifications to the airport infrastructure, which will
not affect existing taxiways and runways."
Airbus and IAI are looking at operational, performance and safety aspects of
the system by performing trials at Toulouse on an A340-600 test aircraft.
If the tests are successful, says IAI, the two sides - plus a tractor
manufacturer - could establish a joint venture to certify and market Taxibot
to ground-handling services and airport operators. Deliveries could take
place from the third quarter of 2011.
Airbus says the Taxibot has so far "shown promising results" but states that
further testing is needed to validate the concept.
It points out that while the engines can be switched off, the auxiliary
power unit would still need to be operating to provide cockpit and cabin
power.
Airbus says that, under the memorandum with IAI, the companies will look at
regulatory, legal and financial aspects of Taxibot.
But the airframer says: "Reducing costs and emissions at airports is key to
improving our industry's eco-efficiency."
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
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Volcanic Eruption Delays Asia-Pacific Flights
Volcanic activity in Russia's Far East is expected to cause flight
diversions, delays and cancellations. The Sarychev Peak volcano in the Kuril
Islands, near Japan's Hokkaido Island, began belching ash plumes on June 12.
Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways reported the activity would cause
international flights to be diverted, resulting in delays of 30-60 min. Air
Canada issued a similar travel advisory for flights between Vancouver and
Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. The Air Line Pilots Assn.
notes that there are 1,500 known volcanoes around the world, 600 of which
are active. Ash spewing from the eruptions can reach 30,000-40,000-ft.
altitudes, where airliners tread, and ash has resulted in multiple engine
flameouts on commercial transports, according to ALPA. Japan Airlines last
week reported the ash from Sarychev Peak had risen to 33,000 ft.
http://www.aviationweek.com
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787 First Flight a Week Away
As June comes to a close, Boeing is set to complete its final two pre-flight
exercises on ZA001, setting up a first flight of the 787 that is likely to
be about June 28. Meanwhile, Boeing has rolled out the second flight test
article, ZA002, in All Nippon Airways (ANA) livery to the flight line and
moved the first production aircraft and the seventh to be built, ZA100, into
final assembly in Everett, Wash.
Vice President Pat Shanahan, the general manager of Boeing's commercial
airplane programs, scheduled a flight readiness review in Everett on June
20. Boeing set a series of ground test blocks-three to cover the primary
flight control and three on functionality tests of the flight control
management system-for June 19-21. The fact that they were originally set to
be completed by June 21 indicates the volatility and hour-by-hour changes as
ZA001 proceeds to the flight line.
With flight readiness review and the last ground test blocks finished, the
airplane will enter the last major phase of its testing: final gauntlet.
That 48-hr. procedure will push ZA001 through a continuous series of final
system checkouts using a software load developed to address minor issues
that arose during the first two test phases: factory and intermediate
gauntlet.
Final gauntlet is expected to begin June 22. Most likely it will be followed
by a two-day analysis session. When flight managers are satisfied with that
analysis, they will be ready to see ZA001 move under the power of its
Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines for the first time. Those runs at Paine
Field, next to the Everett factory, will initially be a series of low-speed
taxi tests and, finally, a move to higher speeds that will bring the
aircraft, which is expected to weigh almost 400,000 lb., to rotation
velocity. At Vr, the nose wheel lifts slightly off the runway but the main
landing gear does not.
The taxi tests should take no more than a day. At this point, Boeing is
likely to take June 27 for tidying up preparations work before the big day
of first flight. If this theoretical schedule holds, first flight of the 787
will come no earlier than June 27 and more likely on June 28, which will be
21-22 months behind Boeing's original schedule. The first flight is expected
to last at least 5.5 hr. The airplane will land at Boeing Field in Seattle,
from which the full flight test program will be conducted.
Shanahan is concerned that the closer first flight moves to the end of June
the greater the chance of the airplane's entry into service with ANA
slipping to April 2010. Boeing has wanted entry into service by the end of
the first quarter, not the start of the second. "As we get to the end of
second quarter [this year] we continue to put a lot of pressure on that
[2010] date," he says.
The good news is that the airplane's systems demonstrated a robustness
during the long intermediate gauntlet tests that "gave us confidence we can
continue at the flight rate we need to in the certification program,"
Shanahan says. However, he concedes that "there's not a lot of margin" in an
8.5-month flight test and certification program. Previously, flight test has
taken 10 months or more, but Boeing is confident that months of pre-flight
planning have reduced risk in the program.
If first flight gets underway within the next week, Boeing will be able to
freeze the final configuration in October of the next version of the 787
family, the -9 stretched variant. Although originally planned for around
mid-2009, reaching that milestone requires large loads of data from flight
tests of the standard-sized 787-8 before configuration of the 787-9 can be
completed, says Shanahan.
http://www.aviationweek.com
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Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP
CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC